Scoring Guide for Biographies

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Biography Scoring Guide

The biography you submit receives a grade based on the following guidelines.

First, each biography on this site has a consistent heading:

Subject's Last Name, First Name
date of birth - date of death
Brief subtitle. What the person is famous for... (or why they should be famous!)

Second, use this Biography Scoring Guide to help construct a healthy body (and grade). There is some overlap of categories. For example, this biography entry on Jesus Christ recieved an "A" even though the verb tense was inconsistent and the submission did not cite the obvious sources.

A (18-20 points)
Proper heading (above)
Opening introduction grabs readers attention
Concluding remarks tie back to introduction
Paragraphs include topic sentence, transitions and summary statement
Details, facts, examples flow together to support main ideas
Grammatical, mechanical and spelling errors are not present
Verb tense is consistent and no use of first person statements
Biblical perspective is unique, insightful and in context
Historical perspective astutely contextualizes the "stage setting" causes and ongoing results of the person's life
Bibliography is at least three sources with proper MLA or Chicago style citation.
Strong evidence that the style guide was consistently implemented (see below)
Number of words approximately 700-1,200

B (16-17 points)
Proper heading (above)
Opening introduction is clear
Concluding remarks are strong
Paragraphs include topic sentence
Details, facts, examples are present to support main ideas
Grammatical, mechanical and spelling errors do not detract from fluency
Verb tense is inconsistent and some first person statements are included
Biblical perspective is general, predictable and may be out of context
Historical perspective explains the reasons and results of the person's life
Bibliography is at least one source with proper MLA citation
Evidence that the style guide was implemented (see below)
Number of words approximately 400-700

C (14-15 points)
Inaccurate heading (above)
Opening introduction is insufficient
Concluding remarks are redundant
Paragraphs include topic sentence
Details, facts, examples are innacurate and extraneous
Grammatical, mechanical and spelling errors detract from fluency
Verb tense is inconsistent and first person or second person is used throughout
Biblical perspective is minimal, simplistic and out of context
Historical perspective explains the reasons leading to, or the results of, the person's life
Bibliography is one source inappropriately cited
The style guide was not implemented (see below)
Number of words approximately 200-400

D (12-13 points)
Inaccurate heading (above)
Opening introduction is not present
Concluding remarks are not present
Paragraphs are poorly organized
Details, facts, examples are few, innacurate and extraneous
Grammatical, mechanical and spelling errors make submission difficult to understand
Verb tense is inconsistent and first person or second person is used throughout
Biblical perspective is missing
Historical context of world events surrounding the person are missing
Source material is not noted
The style guide was not implemented (see below)
Number of words far less than 200 or far greater than 1,200

F(11 or fewer points)

Here are some questions to consider when preparing your biography.

What was (is) this person's…

Place of growing up ________________________________________________________
Events of childhood ________________________________________________________
Family influences __________________________________________________________
Religious views ___________________________________________________________
Motivations ______________________________________________________________
Challenges _______________________________________________________________
Accomplishments __________________________________________________________
Occupation _______________________________________________________________
Historical context __________________________________________________________
Life-span _________________________________________________________________

Style Checklist (adapted from Andrew Pudewa's "Excellence in Writing")
These are only suggestions to improve your writing. They will not be considered as part of your grade.

Ask yourself...
____ spell checked ?
____ grammar checked ?
____ 12 pt, black, Arial font ?
____ single-spaced, blank line between paragraphs (no indenting) ?
____ includes style enhancements as listed below ?

While sentence openers and length should vary, one must lean toward concise precision. Be exact.
____ subject
____ prepositional phrase
____ "ly"
____ "ing" verbal opener
____ adverbial clauses to open sentence: When, While, Where, Since, As, If, Although
____ very short sentence, 2-5 words
____ "ed"

Mid-sentence dress-ups consistently enhance your statements with more intrigue and impact.
____ who-which clause
____ because clause or other conjuction
____ "ly" adverbs
____ quality adjectives (use thesaurus)
____ strong verbs (check against banned word list)
____ adverbial clauses in mid sentence: when, while, where, since, as, if, although
____ dual adverbs, verbs, or adjectives

"Wow!" Decorations are literary techniques which kill boredom like a bold bear bouncing on a beehive.
____ question
____ realistic conversation, quotations
____ three short sentences
____ simile or metaphor
____ alliteration
____ hyperbole
____ personification

Triple extensions enforce a point fervently, directly, and definitively.
____ phrase or clausal
____ "ings" (consecutive, or spaced)
____ "lys" (consecutive or spaced)
____ triple adjectives or nouns (consecutive)
____ triple verbs (consecutive or spaced)

Good writing includes proper balance of the above stylistic techniques. Remember to also include strong opening and closing paragraphs, quotations, and plenty of descriptive details to support the main ideas.


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